The Junior Officer Corps

Ant Ridge border defense station, station chief's office. Lü Jinshan paced back and forth in his office, his slightly puffy face slick with cold sweat. His eyes darted repeatedly to the internal landline, and phantom chimes had already begun ringing in his ears. It felt as if the telephone had never stopped ringing, yet also as if that death-knell silence had never been broken. His mind continuously conjured hypothetical disasters—specifically, word that the frontline forces had been wiped out entirely. "...Nothing can happen to them, absolutely nothing..." Lü Jinshan prayed under his breath. Previously, he had wished nothing more than to stick Lu Zhao at the front gates as a guard, terrified that if Lu Zhao continued racking up merits, he would no longer be able to suppress him. The official system operated by rules. No matter how formidable Lu Zhao was as a Dijing University graduate, Lü Jinshan still outranked him. Conversely, Lü Jinshan had no authority to erase Lu Zhao's accomplishments. So Lü Jinshan had merely stalled under various pretexts, eventually granting Lu Zhao whatever commendations he was due. That was his greatest talent from years in officialdom: pushing the rules to their absolute limit to bend them without breaking them. Yet today's situation was completely different! If his actions indirectly caused the mission to fail—or worse, led to the total annihilation of the frontline fighting strength—the fallout would be... Lü Jinshan shuddered, cold sweat pouring down even heavier. The regulations could only keep him out of prison; they could not save his career. With a disaster of this scale, he might actually end up behind bars. "Lu Zhao, oh Lu Zhao, you must pull off a great deed this time!" *Ring—* The landline shrilled. In a split second, before the ring had even fully sounded, the receiver was snatched up. Lü Jinshan practically lunged across the desk, grabbing the receiver and stammering, "Hello, this is Lü Jinshan. The frontline mission... is it accomplished?" Every word felt wrenched straight from his throat. "...It succeeded?! ...Good, good, excellent! Lu Zhao truly is our station's finest soldier! When he returns, I'll definitely put him forward for a commendation!" Hanging up the phone, Lü Jinshan slouched in his chair still clutching the receiver, looking like a man who had barely escaped the jaws of death. Only after a long while, having calmed himself down, did the shrewd gleam return to his eyes. A pensive expression came over his face. "This operation hit a few snags, but it fully proved that our border defense station's emergency response capabilities and command decision-making can withstand any test! "Naturally, the heroic struggle of our frontline commanders and fighters was indispensable as well." He swiftly calculated the phrasing of his report. No matter how perilous the ordeal had been, or how critical Lu Zhao's role was, none of it detracted from Lü Jinshan's proper command. He didn't want to steal credit outright; that would be a crime, grounds for a court-martial. As long as he could add a line to his record, Lü Jinshan would be satisfied. Now everyone could achieve a win-win outcome together. Lü Jinshan stood up with a light, complacent spring in his step and paced to the window. Outside, Ant Ridge lay blanketed under the night sky, with a few searchlights piercing the dark to illuminate the rolling mountain ridges in the distance. Gazing down across the domain he had cultivated for so long, his face radiated the smug satisfaction of a victor, as if the terror and loss of composure from minutes earlier had nothing to do with him. Just as Lu Zhao had astutely characterized him, he was a bureaucratic rat of power—shortsighted and muddle-headed, yet digging for influence with an ingrained instinct. *** On the road back to the border defense station. Lu Zhao and Zhang Like rode in the same vehicle, the dim yellow glow of streetlights flickering across their faces through the window. "You offended Special Counter-Terrorism pretty badly today." Zhang Like glanced sideways at Lu Zhao. Lu Zhao remained leaning against the window, his gaze directed at the forested hills rushing past outside, his profile sharply defined in the shifting light and shadow. "We don't eat from the same pot; he can't bite me," he replied calmly. "Better to use it to disgust Lü Jinshan, saving us the trouble of him figuring out how to plaster gold onto his own face later." He knew Lü Jinshan's style all too well. If no one called him out, Lü Jinshan would certainly shower praise on himself in the report to cover up his own dereliction of duty. Lu Zhao had no dealings with the Special Counter-Terrorism forces and shared no common interests with them, so naturally, there was no need to maintain relations. At that, Zhang Like looked astonished. "Old Lu, I'm realizing you're not entirely stubborn after all. When you play tactics, you can be pretty ruthless." Lu Zhao gave an innocent look and countered, "Did I do anything? I was only protecting Station Chief Lü's reputation and saving Team Leader Lin from being bothered." "Now you're using honorifics—like a weasel wishing a chicken a happy New Year." Zhang Like couldn't help but chuckle before getting down to business. "Turn down that transfer to the cadre rest home. Before, it was purely because we had no choice. Lü Jinshan had you locked down tight at the junior officer rank, and as a squadron leader, my hands were tied. "Originally, I figured that at least stepping back to a peaceful place with better benefits would count as some compensation. But today, you saved the frontline backbone of the entire border defense station. From now on, as long as you remain on the front lines, he can't touch you." Lu Zhao asked, puzzled, "They're all just junior personnel. How can they help me?" "The point isn't what they can do to help you, but what they won't do to help Lü Jinshan. "For instance, in a situation like yesterday's, if they're willing to cooperate..." Zhang Like gave an example: "If I lead a team over to protest, do you think Lü Jinshan could withstand the pressure?" Superiors held significant decision-making power, and almost no one at the border defense station could stand up to Lü Jinshan alone. Yet checks and balances existed in power; a station chief was not an absolute dictator. The execution of his power relied on the frontline backbone—namely, everyone present today. Nowadays, most of the junior officers at the border defense station had been promoted by Zhang Like. Since that fell under his purview, he had naturally cultivated his own circle of influence. However, he had lacked a pretext to rally them against Lü Jinshan. Today provided the perfect opportunity to pull everyone over. "A station chief isn't a local warlord. Without the backing of the frontline officers, he can't get anything done—and Lü Jinshan's reputation is terrible." Lü Jinshan's track record was just as dismal. By regulation, one needed at least thirty points of life force to serve as a battalion-level border defense station chief. Enforcement departments placed great weight on life-force development; one's level of life force directly influenced the real authority vested in their post. In a technical post, no one would bat an eye at Lü Jinshan, but certainly not in an overall command position like station chief. "I've learned something," Lu Zhao said. A flicker of comprehension flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. The core of how power operated did not lie in surface-level rank, but in who controlled the will of the executive layer. Theory from school was too abstract, and he had never actually served as a senior leader. Only when encountered in practice did the lesson cut deep, allowing one to avoid mistakes in the future. Fearing Lu Zhao lacked social tact, Zhang Like continued, "You need to build good relations with them too. Nod when you pass each other, say hello when you're in a good mood. For instance, sitting together in the mess hall goes a long way toward building a sense of belonging." "But I've always eaten by myself. Wouldn't it be rather awkward to suddenly sit with them?" Lu Zhao stroked his chin, not showing much resistance. "Then do this," Zhang Like suggested. "I'll host a celebration dinner tomorrow. Once everyone sits down for a few drinks, you'll be close in no time." Lu Zhao nodded in agreement. "All right." Four years of hardship had taught him that outside matters of principle, he needed to be more adaptable. Silence settled over the vehicle once more, broken only by the roar of the engine and the rustle of tires rolling over the road. The evening breeze blew as Lu Zhao sank into thought. Then, suddenly, he spoke, his voice ringing out clearly over the engine: "Before heading out, I accessed the server room and found the patrol route change proposal from eighteen months ago. Your name was on it."